A Second Chance
by Kairi-89
Summary: yeah,yeah I havent updated in a while so sue me. on second thought dont. Anyhow Aeris comes back,and the whole gang goes after a new threat to the Planet while Aeris suffers from horrible nightmares and Cloud struggles with his feelings for Aeris and Tifa
1. Default Chapter

Hello everyone! :D I'm Kairi and this is my little FFVII fic that I am working on. The basic plot is that Aeris comes back and the whole gang goes after some new threat to the Planet. I havent gotten too far, and none of it has anything to do with the plot yet really, but just be patient and tell me what you think, k? And if you dont like it dont just say "Ur fic sucks!" tell me why, k? K!  
  
Ch. 1 An Introduction: Memories of the Past  
  
Lifestream. It is such a strange thing. It seems so gentle and beautiful when you first think about it--a river composed of the souls of everything that has ever died on the Planet, yet the source of life for everything that will ever be born. But although gentle, it is also powerful. About 500 years ago, the whole world watched in awe as the Lifestream swallowed Meteor, just as it was about to land on Midgar. If it was so powerful, however, why hadn't it been able to stop Meteor before Midgar was destroyed? The people of Earth have asked themselves this so many times, Barret more than any of them. His Marlene had been there, had been one of the thousands who died that day. But there is no answer to that question. The great floating city is gone, and that's all there is to it. It is nothing but ruins now, a pile of rubble, covered in jungle, where the greatest city on earth once stood. And it has made people wonder-- was it really Meteor that destroyed Midgar? Or was it possible that the Lifestream itself did it? No one really knows. Perhaps it did. One thing is for certain-- it is possible. The Lifestream has done many strange and inexplicable things. Stranger still, however, is the way the things Lifestream does can affect so many different people in so many different ways. But to tell about all those people would take an eternity. This story is only about one of the millions whose lives have been changed because of the Lifestream, one of them being Cloud Strife. After the destruction of Midgar, Cloud just put the past behind him. He knew he had to get on with his life, and there was no point in worrying about it anymore. He was tired of thinking about whether he was real or a clone or how just how he got here. He was alive now, and he was going to live his life the way he wanted, without thinking about the past at all. He went back to Nibelhiem with TIfa. She reopened her bar, the 7th Heaven, named for the one she once owned ion Midgar, and Cloud opened a weapon's shop. Often on days when there were few customers, he would close up early and go over to TIfa's bar to have a drink, or just sit and talk with her. He loved living in Nibelhiem, not that there was really anywhere else to go anyway. But it did bring back so many memories, only a handful of them good. And he didn't seem to know anymore which memories were real and which ones weren't. His mind would often wonder, despite his promise to himself, to thoughts of the past--of his childhood there in Nibelhiem, if it really was real, and of his journey with Tifa, Barret, and the others. And of Aeris. There were times when he missed her so much. He hadn't even known her that well. But why did she have to die? She had been the first to know about Meteor, and she had prayed to the planet for Holy, prayed for the only thing that could stop Meteor. And Cloud wondered-- Aeris had been an Ancient, the last remaining one, and she had been so close to the Planet. It had no doubt told her many things. It told her about Meteor didnt it? It had to. How else could she have known? Aeris knew so many things, and Cloud wondered--had Aeris known she was going to die? Had she known that she would have to sacrifice her own life to save the Planet? And still went to the City of Ancients to pray for Holy? Often Cloud thought that she probably had known. He remembered that day so clearly. It seemed that one scene would be burned into his mind forever. . .  
  
Aeris, kneeling at the altar, so calm, so peaceful, her eyes closed. . . and smiling. She was smiling. Then Sephiroth, appearing behind her so suddenly. No time to do anything, no time to stop him. It was over before anyone could move. The horrific sight of that sword, the long, thin, cold steel of the Masamune, piercing her heart, tearing through her flesh, and emerging stained with blood, on the other side of her thin body. Aeris, lifting her bowed head and opening her eyes--those bright, beautiful, green eyes, shining the color of emeralds--and smiling. She was still smiling. Still smiling, though by now it was certain she must have known her fate.  
  
But she knew before that. Yes, Cloud assured himslef, she had to have known. And those images, they played in his head, over and over and over again. He would never forget them--Sephiroth, pulling the blade back out, Holy falling, falling onto the altar, and bouncing off it, flying through the air for only a second, glimmering with a strange dim light, and landing gently in the pool below them dissappearing from sight beneath the water. Thn Aeris too was falling, falling forward onto the altar, her pink dress stained wiht blood, her brown hair spilling about her, and her beautiful green eyes once agian closed, never to open again. Cloud had thoguht about these things so many times, and often visions of Aeris haunted his dreams too--her bright green eyes staring at him, asking him "Why didnt you save me?" And though he appeared fine on the outside, there were times when he felt so guilty he could barely stand it, despite the fact that there really wasnt anything he could have done to save her. But he didnt think about that. Cloud really beleived that he surely could have done something he could have done to save her. But most of the time, Cloud could manage, somehow, to push these thoughts out of his mind, telling himself there was no use thinking about it--it was over, in the past. And when thoughts of Aeris left his mind, they would quickly be replaced with thoughts of Tifa--whether she felt the same way about him as he felt about her, and what exactly it was that he felt for her. Could it really be love? Or was it just friendship? He didnt really know. But the day that this story really started, Tifa was the farthest thing from Clouds mind. This one day, no matter what he did, he could not drive thoughts of Aeris from his mind. It was on that very day, a year before, that Aeris had died, and no matter how hard he tries, he could not forget it. So there he sat, in Tifa's bar, thinking about Aeris and that day a year ago, his guilty conscience bothering him worse than it ever had before, until Tifa, noticing that something was wrong, walked around from behind the bar and sat down beside him. 


	2. A Sad and Rainy Day

Hellooooooo!!!!!! Thanks for the reviews! Um. .. I haven't really decided whether this will be a Cloti or Cloris yet. . . but I do know there will be at least a few moments of both Cloud x Tifa and Cloud x Aeris in there. I plan for it to go like this-well, Cloud loves Aeris, but he feels guilty, like it was his fault she died. When she comes back, Cloud still cant bring himself to tell her either of that and, while he struggles with his feelings about Aeris, he sorta forgets about Tifa. Well, Tifa loves Cloud, and she is willing to stick by him on this new journey, even though she sees how much he loves Aeris and it makes her very very sad. = ( While all this is going on, though, I have another important event planned to happen, which could make this turn out to be a Cloti fic, and. . .. most likely will, though I'm not for sure yet. . . But, I'm not going to say any more about it because it would spoil it and its fun to make you wait. Mwhahaha! = )  
  
Anyway, I do not own FFVII or any kinda crud like that unfortunately. Here is Chapter Two. No, this doesnt seem like it haas much to do with the plot yet either, but it will soon, I promise! Tomorrow probably!-_-  
  
Chapter 2 A Sad and Rainy Day  
  
Tifa looked over at Cloud, who was sitting at the bar beside her. He was just staring out into space. He hadn't even noticed she had sat down beside him.  
  
It was a dreary sort of day, gray and rainy, the sort of day that could make you feel blue no matter how cheerful you may have been in the morning. That's why Tifa hadn't been surprised when he heard the door swing open and saw Cloud walking into the bar, soaking wet from the rain, long before his shop was supposed to close. And she was kind of happy, too. It had been a really slow day, though it was no wonder there weren't many customers, as hard as the rain was coming down outside. But she was glad for some company. Not even Barret was there.  
  
After the whole Meteor incident as over, Barret, of course, had to go back to Midgar. He had wanted so bad to believe that Marlene would be okay, that she would be there waiting for him. But she wasn't. She was gone, and deep inside him, Barret had known that already. He had gone anyway, searched all over Midgar, calling her name over and over until he finally gave up and just sat down among the ruins to cry. And after that, Barret really didn't have anything left. He went to Nibelhiem, since that was where Tifa and Cloud were, and, not knowing what else to do, opened an items shop. More often than not, however, he could be seen sitting alone in Tifa's bar, quietly sipping a drink, rather than in his shop where he really should be.  
  
That day, though, not even Barret was there, so Tifa was glad when Cloud walked in. It had been one of the most boring days of her life, and she was glad to have somebody to talk to now, figuring that was probably why Cloud had closed up early to come over to the 7th Heaven--he was feeling lonely and bored too.  
  
But Cloud didn't appear as if he wanted to talk. He had just walked in and sat down at the bar, staring out into space with a blank sort of expression. He hadn't even said "Hi," to Tifa, so she walked over.  
  
"Hey Cloud!" she had said smiling at him. He had looked up, startled.  
  
"Oh. . . hey."  
  
"Wanna drink?" she had asked.  
  
"Mm-hmmm," he had said, nodding absently. Then she had turned around and walked off, returning a moment later with his drink. She hadn't even bothered to ask him what he wanted. He didn't seem in the mood to talk much, and he ordered the same thing every time he came in the bar anyway. She had set his drink down in front of him.  
  
"Here you go!" she had said cheerfully.  
  
"Thanks," he mumbled. But he hadn't touched it. He had just sat there staring at it. At this point, Tifa had come out from around the bar and sat down next to him.  
  
So now, there they sat, Cloud staring at his drink, not even noticing Tifa had sat down next to him, and Tifa, watching Cloud, wondering what was wrong.  
  
Sure, the weather was enough to make anyone feel down, but it was more than that, she could tell. Water was still dripping from his spiky blond hair onto the bar in front of him. She wondered if he had even noticed that it was raining.  
  
"Cloud," she said softly. He didn't answer.  
  
"Cloud!" she was louder this time. He looked over, startled at first.  
  
"Oh. . . sorry," he said. He picked up his drink, took a sip, than set it back down.  
  
"Cloud. . what's wrong?" Tifa asked.  
  
"Nothing," he lied.  
  
"Cloud, don't tell me that," she said, softly but sternly. "I know something's the matter. What is it?"  
  
Cloud sighed. "It. . " he hesitated for a second, then he started again. "It's Aeris," he said. "It was today that. . " He stopped. "A year ago. . " He just couldn't bring himself to say it. But Tifa understood.  
  
"Oh. . I didn't realize," she said quietly. "I knew it was somewhere around this time of year, but. . I mean, while we were gone. . I never kept up with exact dates. . . "she trailed off.  
  
"I. . I just cant stop thinking about her," Cloud explained. "I. . I feel so. . guilty. Like. . like there was something I could have done, ya know. . . "  
  
"Cloud. . It wasn't your fault. Maybe. . Maybe it was meant to be. Like destiny, ya know? And. . well. . even if it wasn't. . . there was nothing you could've done. It was over before we even knew what was happening."  
  
"Maybe. . " Cloud knew she was right. There wasn't anything any of them could have done. But it didn't help. He still felt it as his fault, though he didn't really know why.  
  
Tifa didn't know what else to say. It made her feel so bad, to see Cloud so unhappy over something she was sure wasn't even his fault.  
  
"Cloud. . . " Cloud stood up.  
  
"I. . I gotta go," he mumbled. He walked quickly toward the exit.  
  
"Cloud?" Tifa got up and ran after him. "Cloud! loud, where are you going?"  
  
He stopped and looked back.  
  
"I. . The City of Ancients. I think. . . I'm going back there again. . ." he said quietly.  
  
"Well, Cloud. . . let me come with you!" Tifa pleaded. He was silent a moment. Then he answered.  
  
"No."  
  
Tifa was surprised. And a little. . hurt? She opened her mouth to say something, but she shut it again.  
  
"I just. . need to be alone," he explained softly. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered. He opened the door, and stepped quickly out into the pouring rain, closing the door behind him. Tifa just stood there, staring at the closed door where Cloud had been only a moment before. She almost started to cry, standing right there. The last time he had left Nibelheim, she hadn't thought she would ever see him again, and still, it had been five years, seven it seemed to her, for she hadn't known he was there in Nibelheim five years ago.  
  
"Please be careful, Cloud," she whispered to the closed door before her. She didn't think she could bear it if she lost him. 


	3. In the Forgotten City

Hello, everyone!! I bet you thought I had dropped of the face of the earth or something, didn't you? Well, GUESS WHAT?!! I didn't. So, sorry to disappoint you. : p I'm still here, and I've put up chapter 3. Actually, I'll probably put up 4 and 5 and 6 sometime today too. Even though I haven't updated that doesn't mean I haven't been writing!  
  
Though I definitely haven't been writing alone. My friend Shantar has been helping me a lot with this story ever since . . . Chapter 3 I think. Thanks so much Shantar! ( (hey would you look at that! MSWord turned my :) into a smily face and my -- into an arrow! I didn't know it did that! Wow, cool!  
  
Ahem. Okay, anyway, as I was saying before, thanks a lot Shantar for writing this story with me cuz its so much fun! Hehehehe  
  
And, for all you peoples reading this, REVIEW!!!!!!  
  
Unfortunately I do not own FFVII. If I did, there would be a sequel or two out already, and Aeris would come back to life.  
  
Chapter Three: The Forgotten City of the Ancients  
  
Cloud stood in the pouring rain outside of the 7th Heaven. It was awful weather to travel in, but he had made up his mind. He was going, and he was going now. He wasn't going to sit around and wait for the sun to start shining, because the way he felt then, it didn't seem as if it would ever shine again.  
  
Cloud didn't really know why he was going. Maybe he thought he would see Aeris, be able to tell her he was sorry. Maybe he thought that he would see Sephiroth, that Sephiroth would take pity on him and just kill him too, let his soul go peacefully into the Lifestream and flow through the earth among that gentle, warm river. Maybe it was both, and maybe it was something totally different. Maybe he had no reason at all. Did you have to have a reason for everything you wanted to do? He thought that maybe you didn't.  
  
In any case, Cloud waited only long enough to lock up his shop and sling his giant sword onto his back. Then, he was off. Highwind would have gotten him to the city in no time, but unfortunately, Cid still had that, and Cloud wasn't about to call him up and ask Cid to come pick him up and fly him to the City of Ancients. No way. He didn't figure he would be able to go into Rocket Town and just "borrow" the Highwind for a while without Cid noticing. Even if he did manage to get out of the town, Cid would eventually realize it was gone and he would be right there waiting to kill murder him when he got back. Cloud could, of course, just take the Highwind and not take it back, but he decided against that. His conscience was bothering him bad enough about Aeris, and he knew it wouldn't make him feel any better to steal Cid's airship. Anyway, Cloud told himself, there was a chance he wouldn't even be there. He might still be flying around somewhere in the Highwind. Heck, he thought, the old geiser ( a/n I have no earthly idea how to spell that word and neither did my computer . . . ) could even be trying to fly that thing to the moon, knowing him. Basically, the airship was not an option. Cloud had pretty much known that already, and known how he was going to have to get there. His mind was very messed up, but he wasn't stupid. It would've been much more comfortable riding in the Highwind, especially considering that it was raining. However, Cloud had to settle for the only remaining means of transportation he had--chocobo. Cloud walked around his house to the backyard where a tiny stable stood. Inside was Boco, his beautiful flying chocobo, pecking at some greens. He walked up to her. "Hey girl," he said softly. She lifted her head at the sound of his voice and walked toward him. He gently strokes the soft feathers on the top of her head. "Wark!" she squawked pleasantly. "We've got a long ride a head of us," he said, still rubbing her head. "What do you think I'll find there? Think I'll find anything at all?" Boco's shiny black eyes stared back at him. "Wark!" Cloud sighed. "I am messed up . . . talking to a chocobo . . ." he muttered as he climbed onto her back. "Well, come on, Boco, let's go," he said, patting her. They rode off. It took Cloud two days to reach the City of the Ancients, going as fast as he could. I could go into great detail about his journey there, but it is not important, so I will not waste your time. It was late in the night when they reached the Forgotten City. When he saw it, Cloud brought Boco down and she landed softly on the road that led down into the city. It loomed before him, that sleepy deserted village of shells and sand, standing silent and menacing in the dim moonlight. "Well, this is it," Cloud said, half to Boco, half to himself. "Now what am I going to do here?" he wondered aloud as Boco trotted lazily down the road. "Why did I even wanna come here to begin with?" The only reply was the sound of Boco's clawed, three-toed feet thudding against the ground, echoing through the night. As he neared the city, Cloud left Boco and walked on alone. He wasn't afraid Boco would run away. At least, he hoped not in any case. If she did, he would have to travel back on foot. It would take him days, if he could even find a way back across the ocean. He would likely starve to death! On the other hand, Boco got angry very easily, and if he tied her up, she might get upset, and decide she wouldn't fly however many greens he gave her, or that she wouldn't run in a certain direction. Either way, what it all boils down to is that he would be stuck. No, he trusted her enough to leave her without tying her up. Cloud made his way up the road and into the temple, the same place that Aeris had lost her life a year before. The place looked exactly the same. Cloud looked around. There was no one. It was just him, alone in this ancient place, he alone daring to disturb the deep, fragile silence acquired throughout the temple in the last year. No one had been in the city since they had all come back with Bugenhagen. Hesitantly, Cloud went toward the altar. He jumped from one pillar to the next and walked slowly up the steps. How slowly it was, he didn't really know. Time seemed to stand still in this sacred place. He felt a bit stupid when the thought first entered his mind, but there was no one there, so Cloud turned around and dropped to his knees in the exact position as Aeris had been before. He clasped his hands before his face and closed his eyes. But he couldn't smile. He didn't know what he was feeling inside, but these emotions just wouldn't let him smile. Was it sadness? Maybe, but probably not. He knew what that felt like. Now, he didn't feel anything familiar--no sadness, no happiness, not even confusion. He just stayed there kneeled on the altar, letting the silence and the darkness around him seep in, become part of him, until he felt he belonged there. When Cloud spoke, his voice echoed throughout the room. "Planet," he began, not very sure of what he was doing or why or what to expect. "If you can hear me, if--" He stopped and opened his eyes. He didn't know what he was looking for. Perhaps he expected to see the blade of the Masamune slamming through his body just as it had Aeris. But no, he was still there, alone in the middle of an empty, ancient shrine. He closed his eyes again. "Planet, please hear me," he pleaded quietly. "Aeris did a truly great thing. She sacrificed her life here. She gave up her life on this very altar, praying for Holy. And not even for herself. For. . .for you," he stammered. "For the Planet. So I beg you," he went on sincerely, pouring his heart into the words he whispered. "Give . . . Give her another chance. Give her a chance at a real life, not a sad, lonely life. She knew she was going to die when she reached this place. I know it was her choice, but . . . " He trailed off. He stayed there a moment wondering what he was doing, what had made him want to pray to the Planet, and why, if he was going to pray to something, he was praying to this Planet that allowed evil to roam free and made horrific human sacrifices for its own sake. All of a sudden, all the thoughts took him over and he couldn't bear it anymore, couldn't stand the fact that she was gone, that the whole thing was so unjust. "It wasn't fair!" he shouted to the empty room around him. "It wasn't fair! I said it was her choice, but she didn't have one did she? Did she?!" he demanded. "She didn't have a choice at all, and what kind of life could that have been?" There was no answer, so he answered himself. "None," he said, softly now. "People think being an Ancient would be so great, but . . . No, it's a curse." He opened his eyes. "I'm so stupid," he told himself aloud. "She's dead!" he yelled to himself. "Face it!" The words echoed through the room, the sound of his own voice frightening him. "Yeah, but . . ." he argued with himself. He stood up. "Well, if there is a God," he shouted to the ceiling. "Or it could be the Planet, or even Buddha for all I care-whoever the heck it was that Aeris prayed to-if you have any kindness or compassion like they say you're supposed to, you won't let a servant with so much faith-a servant who did so much for you-die like that! Die in vain! If you care at all, you'll give her another chance." Then he whispered to himself as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I would give anything if she could have another chance." Cloud started to go, but before he could move he heard a voice calling to him from below. "Cloud! Are you coming?" He looked over. "A-Aeris?!" 


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, I don't own FFVII. You oughta know that by now!  
  
Chapter 4 "Aeris is it really you?" "Yeah, Cloud why wouldn't it be? What's wrong?" "N-nothing. " He couldn't tell her. If she really didn't know, then he couldn't just tell her. He just threw his arms around her and hugged her, holding her tightly, still hardly believing it was real. "You sure? What's wrong? This isn't like you." "Nothing," Cloud retreated from a hug to hold her hand, "Nothing's the matter, I just haven't seen you for a while." "Yeah, well, don't you think we should go?" "Sure," Cloud said and he led Aeris out of the temple, holding her hand, fearing that if he let go of her she might just vanish, still not sure if she was really anything more than a dream or a hallucination. They walked out of the temple and up the road away from the city. After a long wordless walk Aeris piped up and said, "You owe me a date!" Cloud looked at her shocked, "A what?" "A date!" she repeated, and when Cloud just stared at her, she went on. Because if you remember, our last one really didn't qualify." While Cloud was recovering from the shock he remembered their last date. Aeris had dragged him to a play, which they somehow managed to star in, and then they went on the sky ride. Thinking about it now, Cloud realized that he hadn't really paid much attention to Aeris. She had been talking to him through most of the ride about their relationship, but he hadn't really listened, all due to his desire to be alone. ". Ok." He answered. He really did owe it to her. "Great, lets go to the Gold Saucer again!" ". Ok." They arrived at where Cloud had left Boco. She had laid on the ground and gone to sleep, but when she heard Cloud and Aeris approaching she awoke and got up. Cloud mounted Boco and grabbed the reigns and Aeris got on behind him, sitting sidesaddle, wrapped her arms around Cloud's waist, and held on tightly as they took off. 


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own FFVII or any of the characters. If I got a nickel for everytime I read a disclaimer though, I'd probably be so rich I could buy Squaresoft.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The trip took a little over two days, but Cloud didn't sleep all the way. He was afraid that if he went to sleep, he would wake back up and discover that it had all been a dream. He was almost to the point of passing out right where he was standing by the time they reached the Gold Saucer. He wasn't the only one who was tired though. It was a miracle that poor Boco survived the trip. Aeris had slept on the way, but she saw how tired Cloud was, and as soon as they got to the Golden Saucer, they went straight to the Hotel and got rooms. Despite not really wanting to let Aeris out of his sight, Cloud probably could not have been able to stand much longer without any sleep, so they went to their rooms. Cloud slept soundly until he awoke to the sound of a piercing scream from down the hall. He jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to Aeris's room.  
  
"Aeris! Aeris are you okay?!" When there was no immediate reply he knocked on the door loudly, panicking. "Aeris! Aeris!" After a moment the door opened and there stood Aeris.  
  
"S-Sorry . . . " she said. "I . . . I just . . . had a bad dream. . " "Oh . . . sorry . . . " he said, a little embarrassed at having panicked over something as little as a bad dream. "It's okay. Actually, I . . . I kinda feel a little better after seeing you, Cloud." She smiled up at him. Somehow, just the sight of him comforted her. "Thanks for checking on me." She said quietly. Cloud didn't really know what to say. He just nodded awkwardly. "Uh . . . sure." He stood there a moment before turning to walk awkwardly back to his own room. Aeris went back inside her room and got back into bed. She did feel better now. She didn't know what it was, but something about the dream really scared her. After seeing Cloud though, the images that had been so clear and strangely familiar now seemed vague and fuzzy. She couldn't even remember what the dream was about. All she could recall were fuzzy images, colors. A flash of silver . . . red . . . and a pale, pale green. The more she thought about it, her head began to ache, so she pushed thoughts of the strange dream away, and thought instead of Cloud. She smiled as she thought about him, and soon drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.  
  
During the night a stranger appeared at Aeris's door. Perhaps some know who this stranger is, but others don't, and I shall not reveal the identity of that individual now, for it would not make sense to you at this point. At another time and in other place during this story you shall learn of their name, but I will tell you their role now. The person that stood outside Aeris Gainsborough's door that night was the reason why Aeris came back and the reason why Aeris did some of the things she will do later in this story. But that, that will be for later.  
  
"Sleep well my lady, for this is the last time you will be at peace with me."  
When Cloud woke up the next day Aeris was sitting by a nearby window looking out peacefully at the masses of people.  
  
"Aeris?" Cloud said sensing something out of place, "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, Cloud. Thought I might just sit hear watching people until you woke up."  
  
"Oh . . ." Again he had been worried for no reason. "Well, can I get dressed?"  
  
Aeris left the room and waited for Cloud to get dressed. When Cloud finished she went back in.  
  
"So what are we going to do today?"  
  
"Presumably have that date you bugged me about yesterday." He said, not really irritated, though it cam out sounding that way.  
  
"Ok! So shall get started then?" 


	6. The Date at the Gold Saucer

I don't own Final Fantasy. I don't think I own anything in this story actually . . .Well, here's chapter 6. Hope you like the story so far!!!!  
  
Ch.6- The Gold Saucer  
  
Cloud and Aeris walked out of the hotel and into the park. It was still fairly early, but the park was already alive with people running about, laughing and playing. But Cloud didn't notice anyone but Aeris. He was so happy she was back. They walked on through the different sections of the park, and soon discovered that there was another special just like there had been before- half off everything for couples. They hadn't even had to pay for tickets the night before either, since they both already had lifetime passes. They went first to Wonder Square and tried their luck with all the games. Cloud showed off at the virtual fighter and basketball machines, and won a teddy bear for Aeris from the Wonder Catcher. Aeris tried the motorcycle game, went snowboarding, and helped Mog learn to fly. The she tried the arm-wrestling machine, and when she lost, Cloud tried to impress her by winning easily. The only problem was that he lost too. Aeris laughed as Cloud struggled against the mechanical arm until it slammed his arm down. Cloud blushed, embarrassed that he had lost an arm wrestling match with a machine, but Aeris just smiled at him. "Oh, come on, its no big deal," she said, and grabbed his hand. Cloud was a little surprised, but she just kept smiling at him. "Come on!" she said, and led him out of Wonder Square. Aeris led Cloud to the Event Square, the theatre area where they had starred in a play the last time.  
  
"Oh, good we got hear just in time! What's playing?"  
  
"The Warriors Code," mumbled Cloud to Aeris.  
  
"Okay, lets watch!" Aeris exclaimed.  
  
They walked into the main area when the show was about to start and found seats. When the show finally started a man walked on the stage, The crows hushed as the realized the show was about to start. "Welcome all to this special presentation of 'The Warriors Code' and please enjoy!"  
  
When the man finished Cloud kept on feeling like he knew that man from some where, like he was an old friend with his long black hair, but he wasn't sure.  
  
The play went on. The story was good, and they both enjoyed it. But when it was over, the same man came back on the stage. Cloud stared at the man, knowing that he must know him form somewhere. The man's eyes met Cloud's as he was announcing the end of the show, and a strange feeling swept over Cloud. Those eyes . . . it was so strange. They were so familiar. A flash of light erupted before Clouds eyes and he clutched his head in pain. "Cloud . . . what's wrong?" Aeris asked. "N-nothing . . ."Cloud lied. But Aeris thought she knew. That man gave her a strange feeling too, and she saw the same flashes of color that she had in her dream. Silver, red, and that pale, pale green. Then there was something else. Black. She shook her head, clearing away the fuzzy images.  
  
"Come on, lets go." she said.  
  
"Yeah ... "Cloud nodded, and they stood, and left the area, the strange man still watching them. When they finished they both went to the hotel, because they felt drained of their energy. When Cloud got into bed he fell asleep straight away. In his dream Cloud kept seeing Tifa and himself together after their final bout with Sephiroth. He dreamed about her all night, seeing her long, dark brown hair, strands of it falling down to frame her beautiful, smiling face. When he awoke, he didn't remember a bit of it, and only one thought that popped into his mind as the first rays of light awakened him. Aeris. For the night though, his dreams were filled with visions of Tifa.  
  
Aeris, when she got to her room, didn't fall asleep as quickly. She felt a deep pain in her chest and she felt like she could hardly move. When she did fall asleep, she felt like she was dying, like she would never wake up. She did though, several times through the night, and every time she did wake up she felt like screaming. She just wanted to scream, scream as loud as she could, because of her visions. The same visions from the night before. Of bright green, and a mesh of red and that pale silver that gave you chills when you looked at it. She didn't though. She remembered they way Cloud had looked at her the first night it happened--so worried and so scared. She had never seen him like that. No, she didn't want to bother him, and as much as the nightmares terrified her, she didn't scream, and instead, went back to sleep, only to be awakened again. And so it went on until morning.  
  
The next day it started to rain and after preparing for their trip back to Neibelem Cloud and Aeris went out to find Boco, who Cloud had kept at the chocobo racing stables. "Thanks for keeping her for so long, was she any problem?" Cloud asked The Stable Manager. "No, she was fine I enjoyed her company." "Thanks for looking after her again," Cloud got on Boco and went to join up with Aeris. "Boco looks refreshed." "Yeah, that stable manager is really good with Boco; they're friends. Boco flies over here when she feels like it or if I'm neglecting her for some reason, and I pay the stable manager once a month for supplies for her and for the other chocobos." "Well that's nice of him." "Well let's go home, hop on." "Okay," Aeris hopped on and tucked her arms around Clouds waist. Boco unraveled her wings and took off toward Neibelem. The entire 3 day journey Cloud nor Aeris could sleep, Cloud because is fear about losing Aeris again, and Aeris because of her accursed dreams. Cloud gave Boco greens so she could endure the journey. The rain continued to pour the whole day. 


End file.
